Show us your setup and the final result!

This is an important piece of equipment in my Digital Dark Room as Diana Krall, Tracy Chapman, Sade, Dire Strait, Red Hot Chilli, Eric Clapton, Yanni, Beethoven etc are often being played through it while I am processing Images. So it deserves a honourable mention here. I don't do much product shooting so C&C is welcome.

BTS ... one light

the images seem a tad under-exposed. Needs more light.

odd. It looks fine in my monitor, my phone, and my tablet.

so I brighten it up a bit...problem there is .... that is NOT her skin tone. LOL

I thought it was ok, initially... Just needed some fill light on the bottom of the dress/staircase... The light fall off was a bit too extreme for me... Phil... What's that thing hanging on the brolly (modifier)? Just curious...



edit: Nevermind... It's the light fixture on the wall... My bad... LOL!!!

airbutchie wrote in post #17994578
The light fall off was a bit too extreme for me

this

I was setting it up the light to be moody ...this is not a catalog shot wherein you have to show everything ....it's an editorial. Client wants a cinematic "Beauty and the Beast" mood....she's into Disney stuff.

If I wanted the gown to be fully shown I could have used my 60" but I chose a smaller modifier to get that mood.... and have control too.

I was using a 43" Photek softlighter II.

PhilF wrote in post #17995084
I was setting it up the light to be moody ...this is not a catalog shot wherein you have to show everything ....it's an editorial. Client wants a cinematic "Beauty and the Beast" mood....she's into Disney stuff.

If I wanted the gown to be fully shown I could have used my 60" but I chose a smaller modifier to get that mood.... and have control too.

I was using a 43" Photek softlighter II.

Speaking as someone with ZERO practical experience with lighting... I prefer your original edit, the only issue I had was with the shadows being a little hard on her face, but the original edit and the fall off was IMO a nice touch and even more so based on your client's idea. Not sure how you could have softened the shadows on her face a little bit more while still maintaining the original falloff you have... I am sure there is a way and I sit here waiting to see who chimes in so I can learn me some more.

Great picture!

werds wrote in post #17995098
Speaking as someone with ZERO practical experience with lighting... I prefer your original edit, the only issue I had was with the shadows being a little hard on her face, but the original edit and the fall off was IMO a nice touch and even more so based on your client's idea. Not sure how you could have softened the shadows on her face a little bit more while still maintaining the original falloff you have... I am sure there is a way and I sit here waiting to see who chimes in so I can learn me some more.

Great picture!

The shadows on the face complement the mood that Phil was after. Having the face without shadow fall off would look unnatural considering the lighting on the rest of the image. One thing our eyes pick up quickly, even if untrained, is inconsistency in shadows and lighting.

What surprised me a little was Phil getting that much fall of from a softliter at the distance from the subject shown in the BTS shot.

Since Phil did some Photoshopping to get rid of the hand rail and shadow behind the subject, if it were my image, I'd bring the dark area upper left around to the upper right corner and then darken the railing and wall under it on the right. Finally, get rid of the light area on the step lower right corner below the dress. I like the highlight shadow play on the dress, but the light/shadow from the railing on the step is an unnecessary visual distraction.

I prefer Phil's original but, then, I'm a fan of hard light and drama. In the opera "Die Frau ohne Schatten" by Richard Strauss, having a shadow imbues a woman with fertility. As for the dress, it's gorgeous and deserves a different pic with lighting to bring out the detail throughout the train.

Black or clear acrylic?

dmward wrote in post #17995519
What surprised me a little was Phil getting that much fall of from a softliter at the distance from the subject shown in the BTS shot.

Since Phil did some Photoshopping to get rid of the hand rail and shadow behind the subject, if it were my image, I'd bring the dark area upper left around to the upper right corner and then darken the railing and wall under it on the right. Finally, get rid of the light area on the step lower right corner below the dress. I like the highlight shadow play on the dress, but the light/shadow from the railing on the step is an unnecessary visual distraction.

The light moved further and was feathered inward to get drastic fall off . I was even considering using a zoom reflector with a 10 degree grid to really get a spotlight look...but my assistant did not pack it .

Good point on the railing .

One thing for sure about this shoot.....this is my favorite equipment.

PhilF wrote in post #17993753
odd. It looks fine in my monitor, my phone, and my tablet.

so I brighten it up a bit...problem there is .... that is NOT her skin tone. LOL

Nahhhh, Phil. The original is just right for that particular space and mood. Exposure is great.

PhilF wrote in post #17995731
The light moved further and was feathered inward to get drastic fall off . I was even considering using a zoom reflector with a 10 degree grid to really get a spotlight look...but my assistant did not pack it .

Good point on the railing .

One thing for sure about this shoot.....this is my favorite equipment.

That looks like my cart when I'm leaving the car.
I agree a gridded BD might have been a good choice. Deepening the stair railing and top of wall is a Photoshop option.

I like the shot concept.

Large group photo.